Framed Cork Bulletin Board – A Quick & Easy DIY

If you caught {this photo} of mine on Instagram last week, you’re a witness that for at least a short period of time my kitchen island was 100% clean and clear of paper clutter – a rarity at our house! While keeping my island completely clutter-free every day is pretty much an impossibility, I decided that a kitchen bulletin board was a must-have for at least keeping the clutter in check. So I revamped an old bulletin board of mine to create this fabric-covered framed bulletin board with a cute little stash-all pocket:

It’s hanging on a small wall that’s right by the door to our garage so it’s in a great spot to grab things from on my way out the door:

Are you long-time readers wondering what happened to the bulletin board that used to be there? Because yep, I made this burlap-covered bulletin board (tutorial {here}) for that exact spot about a year ago:

Believe it or not, I shipped that baby to NYC where I used it in a video tutorial about how to create this project (you can check out the video {here} – by the way, is there anything more uncomfortable than watching yourself on video? I think not…) and it got lost after the video shoot and never made its way back home to me 🙁  Since then, we sold our old house in Cincinnati (which we were renting) and I brought back the old bulletin board I had in that kitchen so I could reuse it in our current house. Way too complicated, I know.

Let’s move on to something more simple – the how-to steps for making this stylish cork board. To start the project off, you’ll need an open back frame (I got mine at Hobby Lobby) and a cork board cut just a little bit smaller than the size of your frame opening. The easiest way to cut a cork board is with a table saw but you can also use a utility knife like I did (don’t worry if your cork board edges are jagged – they won’t show).

Cut your fabric so that it’s several inches wider and longer than your cork board on each end, lightly spray your cork board with spray adhesive (do this in a well-ventilated area), center your fabric over your cork board, and smooth it out over the entire surface so that it adheres well. Next, flip your cork board over to the back, pull the fabric tight, and use a staple gun to staple it all the way around:

Beware that if you choose a pinstriped fabric like I did, it’s a little challenging to get all of the stripes perfectly straight (you can see in my final product where they go a little wonky at the left top corner) – non-linear patterns are easiest.

To create the pocket, simply cut another piece of fabric (I used the same fabric going in a different direction but you could use a totally different coordinating fabric too) several inches wider than the width of your cork board and a few inches taller than you want your pocket. I was lucky because the selvage of my fabric provided a nice little boarder that I used at the top of the pocket – if your selvage isn’t attractive, just sew under the top 1/2″ to create a nice edge (or iron it down with Stitch Witchery). Position this second piece of fabric where you want it at the bottom edge of the cork board,

flip it over and staple the fabric tightly at the ends and bottom. Then simply pop your fabric-covered cork board into the frame. To secure it, I actually just duct taped the cork board to the frame at the back but you could also glue gun it in or screw a few corner brackets on the back of the frame.  Finally, add hanging hooks to the back of it (I used two D-ring hooks) and throw it up on the wall – done!

I’m sure my cork board won’t look this neat and uncluttered for long – right now it’s holding some Pottery Barn fabrics that I’m eyeing for a sectional, a sample of my living room drapery fabric that I need to shop for a few spring pillows, and a bunch of less glamorous stuff like coupons and outgoing mail. Since I don’t like to put holes through some of these things, instead of using pushpins I hot glued thumbtacks to the back of a few small clothespins so I can clip them on instead:

Want to make a fabric-covered cork board of your own? Here’s a shopping list of the supplies you’ll need to get the job done (includes affiliate links – see my full disclosure statement {here}):

An open backed frame (mine is a 22″ x 28″ barnwood frame from Hobby Lobby) – {this online frame} looks very similar if you don’t have a Hobby Lobby near you

Unframed cork board – you can get them at most craft stores like Hobby Lobby and JoAnn Fabrics

Fabric – enough to cover your board and create the pocket

Spray adhesive – {this one} is my favorite

Glue gun and staple gun (I recently got {this heavy duty staple gun} and it’s so much better than the cheapie that I’ve been using for years)

Picture hangers and duct tape or brackets to secure the cork board to the frame

Pushpins, thumbtacks, and clothespins

Now that I’ve tackled some of our kitchen island paper clutter, I’ve motivated to get the rest of my kitchen better organized too (the scene behind our cupboard doors is pretty scary). Do you guys have any favorite tips or products to get the job done?